Stairs
by lazermonkey
Summary: "This wasn't the first time I'd fallen down the fact, I'd fallen down these same prison steps almost everyday since we got here.I've always been great at injuring myself in dumb ways and today was no different.Except for one small fact. carol was at the bottom." Daryl's POV. Slightly Caryl this is my first Fic.
1. Chapter 1

This wasn't the first time I'd fallen down the stairs. In fact, I'd fallen down these same prison steps almost every day since we got here. I've always been great at injuring myself in dumb ways and today was no different. Except for one small fact. Carol was at the bottom.

"You ok?" she asked.

"Yeah." I mumbled awkwardly, climbing to my feet. I stared at the floor.

"Lose something?" she asked, not bothering to hide the smile in her voice. The woman loves it when I get embarrassed. She weird like that.

"Yeah," I said sarcastically, "My footing." She smiled at me. I glanced at her. She stood there. I stood there. She coughed. I scratched my head. _Well this is awkward._ I thought.

"So….you wanna do something?" she said slowly.

"Like what?" I asked dreading what kind of smart remark she was probably about to make. After all, I was already blushing. She smiled deviously.

"Anything you want." she said nudging me. I felt my whole face get red. I began to panic, but then I remembered that two can play at this game.

"Anything?" I asked making sure to drag out the word.

"Anything." she answered.

"Hmm...wanna go gut that coon I shot earlier? It ain't too hard to learn how." That got me the biggest look of disgust I'd ever gotten from her. Then she smiled one of those big "I'm Gonna Make This Boy Sorry He Was Ever Born."smiles and gave me a one word answer.

"Sure!"


	2. Chapter 2

_Well this is a new one._ I thought. I'd never gutted anything in front of someone who wasn't used to it. I had always tried to do that sort of thing at least a few feet away from the group so that they might consider eating my game. Carol looked like she was about to puke.

"Do you always use your bare hands? Just think of all the disease and blood."she shivered at the thought.

"In case ya' haven't noticed there ain't many gloves around that ain't full of walker crap."

"How can you stand this?" she mumbled. I smirked.

"Believe it or not ,Woman, I used to hate this part too." I said tossing the stomach aside.

"I think I'm gonna be si-" she puked before finishing her sentence.

"DON'T GET IT ON MY COON!" I yelled. She gave me a dirty look.

"Thanks for your concern. Not!" she shot back. I immediately felt bad for yellin' at her. But in my defense, the coon was our dinner and I didn't think Carol's barf would be a very tasty seasoning. She tucked her head between her knees and let out a slow shaky breath.

"Hey Carol, listen. Sorry for yellin' at ya. I can finish this. You don't gotta help if you don't wanna."I said trying to make her feel better.

"No,Daryl ,I said I would help. I intend to do so."

"Alright then just try and keep your food down." I responded.

"Besides how could I go inside when my Pookie is out here all by himself? After all I don't get much alone time with you." she said. I felt myself blush. _Crap._ I thought. _This is exactly the reaction she wants._ I rolled my eyes and snorted. She smirked.

"Wanna take the heart out?"I asked. I knew it was to soon but I was fed up with this Pookie stuff. She stared at me in shock and disgust. I smiled and let out a laugh. She smiled back. _What? Why is she smiling?_ I thought. _Why you gotta be so stanking confusing?_

"I like it when you laugh. You're so adorable!" She said reaching over the coon to hand me my knife.

"Pookie? Adorable? What makes you think those describe me?" I mumbled,blushing again. I was sure she heard me but she said nothing.

"Alright, well if your done playing with your guts then we should probably go in." she said pressing her lips together looking at my mess.

"Yeah." I said standing and offering her my bloody hand. She looked at it for a second and then let me pull her to her feet. I wrapped the meat in the towel I'd brought and we walked inside to give the meat to whoever was cooking.

Once that was taken care of I went back outside to wash my hands and have a smoke before dinner. Carol came out to wash hers and tease me about those dumb stairs again.

"You know you really should fall down the stairs more often. This is the most time I've spent with you this week!" She chuckled. I was not quite as amused as she was.

"Or maybe you should help me gut things more often." I said smirking. I was at the top of my teasing game today.

"Did Daryl Dixon just ask me on a date?"she said faking a shocked expression.

"It ain't a date unless there's food!" I shot back. "That's what my old man always said."

"The stuff you gut will be food so I think it still counts as a date!" She said turning to go inside.

"KEEP TELLIN' YOURSELF THAT!" I yelled. "DON'T MAKE IT TRUE!" _A date? With Carol? Yeah right! That'll never happen. Unless...Dixon your crazy! It won't. Ever. Maybe. Possibly. Will it? Nah don't be dumb._ I thought. I don't know where I get these dumb ideas from. Maybe from eating to much owl recently...


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Thank you so much for all your reveiws,follows and favorites!** **I'm glad you are enjoying my first fic! Hopefully you like this chapter! It involves notes, more yelling and Rick Astley…**

The next day I went hunting before anyone got up. I woke Carl so he could close the gate behind me. I found a couple squirrels right off and politely ended their lives as Michonne put it. I prefer the term mercilessly slaughtered them for food. Michonne said that was morbid. Pretty soon it was lunchtime. I got out the lunch Carol had packed for me last night. _Lets see what you gave me. There better be some chocolate in here..._ I thought. She had packed me some jerkey,a slice of bread,an apple and a small candy bar taped to a note. It read:

"Hey Pook,

Thought you might want some candy on your hunt. It's almost as sweet

as you." (she had drawn a winky face.)"I'm still counting on helping you

gut whatever you bring back. I also still think it counts as a date.

Love,

Carol"

 _You never quit do ya',Woman?_ I thought. _What is a Pook? Is that different from a Pookie? What's a Pookie anyhow?_ My head hurt just thinking about it. I finished my meal and continued my hunting.

A few hours later I was yelling at Carl to open the gate while dragging a deer behind me.

"CARL! COME ON! AIN'T GOT ALL DAY! TIMES A WASTN'! PUT DOWN THE COMIC AND GET OUT HERE!" I yelled loud enough to draw a couple walkers.

"Coming! Hold on!"Carl said loudly. He opened the gate and closed it behind me. I left my kills outside and went into get my gutting tools. I went to my perch and found Carol sitting on my bed.

"You're back I see." She smiled. I looked at her confused. _What is she doing here?_ I wondered.

"Don't ya' have food to make or laundry to do?" I asked. She made a face.

"And miss my Daryl time? I should say not!" she said, "What do we have the pleasure of gutting today?" she asked.

"A deer and a couple a squirrels." I answered. Something fishy was going on. I'd never seen someone so happy about gutting dead things before. I decided to distract her with a question.

"So how's a Pook different from a Pookie? Or are they the same?"

"They're the same. You're filthy. You should take a bath when we're done." Who did this woman think she was anyway? There wasn't a force in this world that could make me take a bath in this place. Except maybe my momma but she's gone now.

When we got outside is was just as I expected. I did a large majority of the work while Carol tried not to barf.

"You plan to help or what?" I asked.

"No."she said.

"No? Thought you wanted a date? I think it only qualifies if you're involved with the whole food thing."

"Fine hand me a knife."she commanded holding her hand out. I passed her my smallest one.

"Man, ya' must be pretty desperate for a date."I mumbled as she got to work on one of the squirrels.

"Not desperate. Just determined." she winked at me. I snorted.

"Give up woman." I said.

"Why? You are still single, right?" she raised an eyebrow at me.

"Yup." _and for a good reason._ I thought.

"And as far as I know you like girls..."

"That's true. I dig chicks." I said.

"As in baby chickens?" she laughed.

"Duh. They're so cute!" I said using my best sarcasm. "But yeah I like women." _wow that sounded creepy._ I thought.

"Ok then so why should I give up?" she asked,giving me a questioning look. _Now how in the flaming poo nugget am I supposed to answer that?_ I almost mumbled.

"Oh Daryl! I'm never gonna give you up! Just like Rick Astley!"

"Huh?" I was thoroughly confused. That seemed to be happening a lot whenever I was around Carol lately. Why was that? Am I just dumb? Is my brain rotting away like a walker's? Is she this weird to everybody? And more importantly, who is this Rick Astley guy?


	4. Chapter 4

"Eww! Do you have to play with the intestines like that?"Carol asked.

"Yeah." I said. I had been making "pictures" with the intestines of the deer we were gutting for a good 10 minutes while Carol looked on. I was tryin' to make a self portrait. So far it looked more like a pile of intestines than my face. Or maybe it was spot on since my face looks about as gross as a pile of deer guts. I pondered this while Carol said something about how I should be focusing on the task at hand.

Carol had been helping me gut my kills for a month and yet the woman still wasn't completely used to it. I didn't get it. She said it was because she liked me but I wasn't buyin' that crap. She had to have some other motive. Maybe she wanted to learn to be less of a little kid when it came to gross things. Get used to it. After all we were living in a gut filled world. And then there were the notes. She left them everywhere. In my lunch,on my bike,in my cell,the guard tower-basically anywhere I was likely to be. Todays had been found taped to the toilet in my cell. It read:

 **Hey Daryl! Hope you have a great day! When you get back come and pick me up for our date. I won't be mad if you are all dirty.** **In fact, I'll be happy! (Because then I can clean you up.(wink wink.) It will be a great.) Love your "girlfriend",**

 **Carol**

I decided to write a note of my own.

 **Woman-I think great days died with the first walker. As for our so called date, I regret to inform you that I won't be able to pick you up as Maggie said I can't come inside until I'm mostly blood free. Knowing me that will be a while. The meat would rot. And it ain't a date. -Daryl D. Dixon the first P.S. I'm a big boy and I can clean myself up. I have been doing so for years.**

She had promptly responded with a note stuck to my plate at lunch.

 **Dear Daryl D. Dixon the First,**

 **What does the "D" stand for?**

I quickly scrawled a message on the back and slid it under her bread. Rick gave me a strange look. I had seriously considered writing a dirty word but decided against it. My mama raised me to be a gentleman. Sometimes.

"Darwin? That not seriously your name is it? You're kidding." she looked amused but unsure.

"Yeah I'm kiddin'" I said. Rick looked more confused than a Dixon in math class. "Carol wanted to know what my middle name was." I explained.

"So if its not Darwin what is it?" he asked.

"Yeah Pookie, what is it?" Carol asked.

"I give you hint," she leaned forward. "it starts with D."

"I already knew that!" she said, clearly frustrated.

"I know. Here's a better clue. Lions." Her expression was so funny I actually laughed out loud.

"Lions? What do lions have to do with-with anything?" she asked.

"Just think about it. I'm going hunting. Bye." I got up and walked out leaving behind a very confused Carol.

Now I was putting the finishing touch on my intestine portrait. _Just a little to the left..._ I thought.

"Is it David?" she asked suddenly. I gazed upon my work with pride.

"Ain't it great?" I asked her. She gave it a disapproving look.

"No."

"Carol! I'm shocked at you! Criticizing a poor little boy's beautiful art!" I said.

"I thought you were a big boy who could clean himself up! And you never told me if David was right." She said with her hands on her hips. I smiled.

"Nope. My name ain't David."

"Dane?" I shook my head.

"Daxton?"

"Nuh uh."

"Dalton?Damian?Dean? Declan? Darius?" She guessed.

"Nope,wrong,no, no,and nope." I responded.

"Will you tell me if I guess it?" she looked at me with hopeful eyes.

"Yes, Woman, I'll tell ya if ya guess it."

"Can I have another hint?"

"It has vowels in it." I said. She playfully punched me in the arm.

"Stop."

"You first."


End file.
